I have always enjoyed learning from people. Hearing their perspectives and stories, trying to empathize and walking in their shoes, brings a special sense of connection that I hold dear to heart.
Over the years I have gained a lot of experience conducting interviews and facilitating conversations. Below are a few highlights:
1. Facilitating Conversation with OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer
As NFT gained mainstream recognition in 2021, the Brown and RISD campuses were bubbling with interest in the field. In response, Professor Andy Law set up a virtual conversation with OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer, and invited me to help draft interview questions and facilitate audience Q&A over Zoom.
2. Podcasting with Federal Judge Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.)
During my stint at Legalist (2020–2021), I was in charge of producing an industry podcast called The Rainmaker, where we interviewed top litigators in the nation, BigLaw partners, and other legal professionals about advancing in various legal careers.
One of such guests was Federal Judge Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.) who served on the bench of the US Court for the Northern District of California, as Director of the Federal Judicial Center, and most recently Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute at UC Berkeley Law School.
I was in charge of the process end-to-end; drafted the interview questions; facilitated the conversation; coordinated recording logistics; edited the audio; wrote the accompanying blog post; and promoted the content across various marketing channels. Due to professional reasons, my voice was swapped out for my colleague’s as part of the editing process.
3. Interviewing Homeless Students at UC Berkeley
While an intern at Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board from 2017–2018, I was hearing many anecdotes of student homelessness. To humanize the issue and amplify student stories, I led the effort to make an interview-based 20-min documentary.
Through social media and phone calls, we talked to 6 (formerly) homeless Berkeley students. We eventually made a documentary sharing 2 unique perspectives. I was the interviewer for the documentary, in addition to being the producer and director.
Robbie Li is a User Researcher passionate about making sure human needs are prioritized in the ongoing tech transformation. His portfolio website is at https://robstereli.github.io/.
